Lazar’s Top Candidates for the Patriots Next Head Coach

Ben Johnson (Current Job: Lions Offensive Coordinator)

As a top candidate for the last three cycles, the Patriots will reportedly conduct a virtual interview with Johnson. However, an in-person interview will need to wait until after the divisional round. Johnson is one of the brightest offensive minds in football. Last offseason, he was extremely close to taking the job in Washington but decided to return as Detroit’s offensive coordinator for a third season. In those three seasons, the Lions ranked third, fifth, and seventh in DVOA on offense, with Johnson running that side of the ball for head coach Dan Campbell.

If the Patriots hire Johnson, they’re hiring him to be the next Kyle Shanahan or Sean McVay. He’s coming in as the offensive architect and play-caller, working with second-year QB Drake Maye to bring a highly successful system from Detroit to New England. The Lions scheme is built around an exotic run game, play-action, motion/formational spacing, and of course, trickery. From this perspective, building out the offensive line, speed at the skill positions, and adapting under-center elements to Maye are keys.

Although he’s a strong candidate, there are unknowns about Johnson as a culture builder and who will be his defensive coordinator. Johnson, age 38, is a first-time head coach. He has an excellent offense, but he’ll need experience around him, especially on defense. When the Rams hired him, McVay’s first DC was Wade Phillips, who had been coaching since 1981 and was a former head coach. A veteran defensive coordinator in a similar mold to Phillips would make sense for Johnson.

The Lions offensive coordinator has waited patiently for the right job until he was completely prepared to be a head coach. Johnson is touted as the next great offensive guru in the Shanahan, LaFleur, McVay, and O’Connell mold, and that’s highly appealing to the Patriots.

Brian Flores (Current Job: Vikings Defensive Coordinator)

Although there are complications with his ongoing lawsuit against the NFL, Flores is undoubtedly one of the best candidates in this year’s coaching cycle. From a schematic standpoint, Flores, for my money, is the top candidate specializing in defense.

After rising through football operations with the Patriots from 2004 to 2018, Flores went from New England’s defensive play-caller in their last Super Bowl victory to Dolphins head coach for three seasons (2019-2021). Flores went 24-25 as Dolphins coach with zero playoff appearances and was let go amidst rumblings that he was clashing with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, ownership, and front-office personnel. After a one-year stint in Pittsburgh, Flores spent the last two seasons successfully coordinating the Vikings defense. This season, Minnesota ranks second in the league on defense under Flores with a 14-3 record.

The former Patriots assistant runs an aggressive defensive scheme, with the third-highest cover zero rate (7.5%) and heavy amounts of disguised pressure. Flores is also among the pioneers who brought six-man zone pressures to the pro game, toggling between bluffing all-out pressure and bringing the house while also simulating pressure to cause chaos.

For Flores, this would be his second crack at being a head coach. However, he’s to defensive innovation as many of these bright offensive minds are to coveted architects on offense. On Tuesday, Flores told reporters he would be interviewing for head coaching vacancies and would be interested in the Patriots job. Now, the question is, are the Patriots interested in him?

Joe Brady (Current Job: Bills Offensive Coordinator)

Another popular offensive-minded coach that’s gaining traction this cycle is the 35-year-old offensive coordinator for the Bills. Brady first emerged on the coaching scene when he was credited for many design elements in the 2019 national champion LSU offense that featured Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Justin Jefferson. Before that, Brady coached two seasons with the Saints as an offensive assistant, making the jump back into the NFL after a one-year stint in Baton Rouge. Brady coordinated the Panthers offense for two seasons, and when the Matt Rhule regime failed, he landed on his feet in Buffalo, where he eventually got promoted to OC.

Since being promoted mid-season in 2023, the Bills offense has soared under Brady. Buffalo is now the second-ranked offense in DVOA with an MVP front-runner in QB Josh Allen. Although it helps to have Allen, Brady’s play designs are some of the best in football. He leverages Allen’s elite physical traits perfectly, bringing balance to Buffalo’s offense by using Allen as a rushing threat and building a gun-action/RPO early-down passing game off those run actions. With a second-year QB that many compare to Allen, it would be intriguing to see Brady install a similar system for Drake Maye in New England.

Ultimately, it might be a year or two too early for Brady to make the jump to head coach at age 35. However, he’s garnering plenty of interest because every team is searching for talented offensive minds, and Brady fits the mold. He’ll eventually get his shot to be a head coach.